The first government of Segismundo Moret was formed on 1 December 1905, following the latter's appointment as prime minister of Spain by King Alfonso XIII and his swearing-in that same day,[1] as a result of Eugenio Montero Ríos' resignation from the post on 30 November in the wake of the ¡Cu-Cut! incident.[2][3] It succeeded the first Montero government and was the government of Spain from 1 December 1905 to 6 July 1906, a total of 217 days, or 7 months and 5 days.[4]
1st government of Segismundo Moret | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} Government of Spain | |
| 1905–1906 | |
.jpg) Moret before 1909 | |
| Date formed | 1 December 1905 |
| Date dissolved | 6 July 1906 |
| People and organisations | |
| Monarch | Alfonso XIII |
| Prime Minister | Segismundo Moret |
| No. of ministers | 8[a] |
| Total no. of members | 12[a] |
| Member party | Liberal |
| Status in legislature | Majority (single-party) |
| Opposition party | Conservative |
| Opposition leader | Antonio Maura |
| History | |
| Predecessor | Montero Ríos II |
| Successor | López Domínguez |
The cabinet comprised members of the Liberal Party, one independent—most notably, Rafael Gasset, a former Villaverdist—and two military officers.[5] The government was disestablished and replaced by a new cabinet under José López Domínguez following the King's rejection to issue a dissolution decree for Moret who, aiming to provide himself with a renewed parliamentary majority in the wake of an internal party crisis over the Law of Jurisdictions, intended to call a snap election.[4][6]
Moret's intent to trigger such a parliamentary dissolution, which lingered for several months from March to July 1906 and which had the opposition of Conservative leader Antonio Maura,[7] was dubbed as the "dissolution crisis" (crisis de la disolución).[8]
Formation
editOverview
editThe Spanish Constitution of 1876 enshrined Spain as a semi-constitutional monarchy during the Restoration period, awarding the monarch—under the royal prerogative—the power to appoint government members (including the prime minister); the ability to grant or deny the decree of dissolution of the Cortes, or the adjournment of legislative sessions, to the incumbent or aspiring government that requested it; and the capacity to inform, inspect and ultimately control executive acts by granting or denying the signature of royal decrees; among others.[9][10]
The monarch would play a key role in the turno system by appointing and dismissing governments, which would then organize elections to provide themselves with a parliamentary majority.[11] As a result, governments during this period were dependant on royal confidence, which was frequently secured or lost based on the leaders' ability to guarantee the internal unity and parliamentary cohesion of their parties.[12][13] In practice, the royal prerogative was not exercised freely by the monarch, but was carried out through the opening of a round of consultations—with the presidents of the chambers, the leaders of the main parties, the potential candidates and other notable figures—prior to government formation.[14]
Consultations
editKing Alfonso XIII held a round of consultations on 1 December 1905 to determine a solution to the political crisis arising from Montero Ríos' resignation.[15]
| Consultations King of Spain | ||||
| Consultee | Office/position | Party | Recommendation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 December 1905 | ||||
| Marquis of Vega de Armijo | President of the Congress of Deputies | Liberal/Dem | Liberal cabinet. | |
| José López Domínguez | President of the Senate | Military | Liberal cabinet. | |
| Segismundo Moret | Leader of the Liberal Party (former) | Liberal | Accepted to head a cabinet. | |
| Nominations | ||||
| Outcome → | Nomination of Segismundo Moret (Liberal)  Accepted
| |||
| Sources[15] | ||||
The outcome of the consultations led Alfonso XIII to entrust the formation of a new government to Segismundo Moret, who accepted the nomination.[16]
Cabinet changes
editMoret's first government saw a number of cabinet changes during its tenure:
- Amid growing divisions within the Liberal Party over the approval of the Law of Jurisdictions,[17] and with Segismundo Moret's plan to trigger a parliamentary dissolution—in order to secure a more favourable Liberal majority in a snap election[4]—not finding unanimous support among his cabinet's ministers,[7] a government crisis was announced on 7 June 1906, with a cabinet reshuffle seeing the entry of ministers more loyal to Moret.[18] The new cabinet on 10 June saw Manuel García Prieto being replaced as Grace and Justice minister by José María Celleruelo; the Count of Romanones by Benigno Quiroga at the helm of the governance ministry; and Alejandro San Martín replacing Vicente Santamaría de Paredes as new minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts.[19] Both Celleruelo and San Martín had been members of Canalejas' democratic faction.[20]
- The death on 23 June 1906 of Minister of State Duke of Almodóvar del Río,[21] saw the appointment of Juan Pérez-Caballero y Ferrer as new officeholder one week later.[22]
Council of Ministers
editThe Council of Ministers was structured into the office for the prime minister and eight ministries.[1]
| ← Moret I Government → (1 December 1905 – 6 July 1906) | ||||||
| Portfolio | Name | Party | Took office | Left office | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister | Segismundo Moret | Liberal | 1 December 1905 | 6 July 1906 | [23] | |
| Minister of State | Duke of Almodóvar del Río | Liberal | 1 December 1905 | 23 June 1906† | [24] | |
| Minister of Grace and Justice | Manuel García Prieto | Liberal/Dem | 1 December 1905 | 10 June 1906 | [24] | |
| Minister of War | Agustín de Luque | Military | 1 December 1905 | 6 July 1906 | [24] | |
| Minister of the Navy | Segismundo Moret took on the ordinary discharge of duties from 1 to 4 December 1905.[25] | |||||
| Minister of Finance | Amós Salvador y Rodrigáñez | Liberal/Dem | 1 December 1905 | 6 July 1906 | [24] | |
| Minister of Governance | Count of Romanones | Liberal | 1 December 1905 | 10 June 1906 | [24] | |
| Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts | Vicente Santamaría de Paredes | Liberal | 1 December 1905 | 10 June 1906 | [24] | |
| Minister of Development | Rafael Gasset | Independent | 1 December 1905 | 6 July 1906 | [24] | |
Changes December 1905edit | ||||||
| Portfolio | Name | Party | Took office | Left office | Ref. | |
| Minister of the Navy | Víctor María Concas | Military | 4 December 1905 | 6 July 1906 | [26] | |
Changes 10 June 1906edit | ||||||
| Portfolio | Name | Party | Took office | Left office | Ref. | |
| Minister of Grace and Justice | José María Celleruelo | Liberal/Dem | 10 June 1906 | 6 July 1906 | [27] | |
| Minister of Governance | Benigno Quiroga | Liberal | 10 June 1906 | 6 July 1906 | [27] | |
| Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts | Alejandro San Martín | Liberal/Dem | 10 June 1906 | 6 July 1906 | [27] | |
Changes 23 June 1906edit | ||||||
| Portfolio | Name | Party | Took office | Left office | Ref. | |
| Minister of State | Emilio de Ojeda took on the ordinary discharge of duties from 23 to 30 June 1906.[28] | |||||
Changes 30 June 1906edit | ||||||
| Portfolio | Name | Party | Took office | Left office | Ref. | |
| Minister of State | Juan Pérez Caballero | Liberal | 30 June 1906 | 6 July 1906 | [29] | |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Soldevilla 1906, pp. 495–498.
- ^ Rodríguez Labandeira, José (2022). "Personajes: Eugenio María Montero Ríos". Historia Hispánica (in Spanish). Royal Academy of History. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ Soldevilla 1906, pp. 460–465 & 490–498.
- ^ a b c Ferrera Cuesta, Carlos (2022). "Personajes: Segismundo Moret y Prendergast". Historia Hispánica (in Spanish). Royal Academy of History. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ Soldevilla 1906, pp. 497–501.
- ^ Soldevilla 1907, pp. 343–345 & 351–356.
- ^ a b Soldevilla 1907, pp. 216–217, 227–228, 248–250, 256–257, 261–262, 269 & 333–339.
- ^ Soldevilla 1907, pp. 340–343.
- ^ Calero 1987, p. 275.
- ^ Constitution (1876), arts. 32 & 54.
- ^ Martorell Linares 1997, pp. 139–143.
- ^ Calero 1987, pp. 283–289.
- ^ Ferrera Cuesta, Carlos (2022). "Personajes: Segismundo Moret y Prendergast". Historia Hispánica (in Spanish). Royal Academy of History. Retrieved 18 August 2025.: "... according to the political practice of the Restoration, since voters did not determine majorities due to electoral manipulation, the requirement demanded of any leader to retain power was to guarantee the unity of the Party. [Spanish: ... según la práctica política de la Restauración, dado que los votantes no determinaban las mayorías a causa de la manipulación electoral, el requisito exigido a cualquier líder para conservar el poder pasaba por garantizar la unidad del Partido.]"
- ^ Calero 1987, pp. 289–291.
- ^ a b Soldevilla 1906, pp. 495–496.
- ^ Soldevilla 1906, p. 496.
- ^ Soldevilla 1907, pp. 169–182.
- ^ Soldevilla 1907, pp. 313–317.
- ^ Soldevilla 1907, pp. 317–319.
- ^ Soldevilla 1907, pp. 320–321.
- ^ Soldevilla 1907, pp. 327–328.
- ^ Soldevilla 1907, pp. 332–333.
- ^ "Real decreto nombrando Presidente del Consejo de Ministros a D. Segismundo Moret y Prendergast" (PDF). Madrid Gazette (in Spanish) (337). State Agency for the Official State Gazette: 773. 3 December 1905.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Reales decretos nombrando Ministro de Estado a D. Juan Manuel Sánchez y Gutiérrez; de Gracia y Justicia, a D. Manuel García Prieto; de la Guerra, a D. Agustín de Luque Coca; de Hacienda, a Don Amós Salvador y Rodrigáñez; de Gobernación, a D. Álvaro Figueroa y Torres; de Instrucción pública, a D. Vicente Santamaría de Paredes, y de Fomento, a D. Rafael Gasset y Chinchilla" (PDF). Madrid Gazette (in Spanish) (337). State Agency for the Official State Gazette: 773–774. 3 December 1905.
- ^ Soldevilla 1906, p. 497.
- ^ "Real decreto nombrando Ministro de Marina a D. Víctor María Concas y Palau" (PDF). Madrid Gazette (in Spanish) (339). State Agency for the Official State Gazette: 789. 5 December 1905.
- ^ a b c "Reales decretos nombrando Ministro de Gracia y Justicia a D. José María de Celleruelo y Poviones; del de la Gobernación, a D. Benigno Quiroga y López Ballesteros, y del de Instrucción pública, a Don Alejandro San Martín y Satrústegui" (PDF). Madrid Gazette (in Spanish) (162). State Agency for the Official State Gazette: 993. 11 June 1906.
- ^ "Real orden disponiendo que, por fallecimiento del Sr. Duque de Almodóvar del Río, se encargue interinamente del despacho de los asuntos del Ministerio de Estado el Sr. Subsecretario de dicho departamento" (PDF). Madrid Gazette (in Spanish) (175). State Agency for the Official State Gazette: 1190. 24 June 1906.
- ^ "Real decreto nombrando Ministro de Estado a D. Juan Pérez Caballero y Ferrer" (PDF). Madrid Gazette (in Spanish) (183). State Agency for the Official State Gazette: 17. 2 July 1906.
Bibliography
edit- Constitución de la Monarquía Española (PDF) (Constitution). Madrid Gazette (in Spanish). King of Spain. 30 June 1876. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- Soldevilla, Fernando (1906). El Año Político 1905 (in Spanish). Madrid: National Library of Spain. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- Soldevilla, Fernando (1907). El Año Político 1906 (in Spanish). Madrid: National Library of Spain. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- Calero, Antonio María (1987). "La prerrogativa regia en la Restauración: teoría y práctica (1875-1902)" (PDF). Revista de Estudios Políticos (in Spanish) (55). Madrid: Centre for Political and Constitutional Studies: 273–315. ISSN 0048-7694.
- Martorell Linares, Miguel Ángel (1997). "La crisis parlamentaria de 1913-1917. La quiebra del sistema de relaciones parlamentarias de la Restauración" (PDF). Revista de Estudios Políticos (in Spanish) (96). Madrid: Centre for Political and Constitutional Studies: 137–161. ISSN 0048-7694.
External links
edit- The governments of the second period of the Liberal Party (1905–1907) (under Alfonso XIII). Lluís Belenes i Rodríguez History Page (in Spanish).